Asking for Forgiveness
by laurah2215
Summary: The Concannon's series-story 34


Title: Asking for Forgiveness

Author: Laura H

Disclaimer: If I married Aaron Sorkin, would I own the rights to The West Wing and the characters? It's an intriguing thought, even if he is over twice my age. But, oh, that brilliant mind!

Rating: PG

Synopsis: Danny has to apologize to CJ.

Author's Notes:

Story 1-I Loved Her First  
>Story2- Just Another Day in Paradise<br>Story 3: My Little Girl  
>Story 4:Chivalry Isn't Dead<br>Story 5:He's Just Sensitive  
>Story 6: The Hardest Conversation Ever<br>Story 7: Letting Go  
>Story 8: Getting Good at New Things<br>Story 9: Where We Need to Be  
>Story 10: Always Loved By Me You're Gonna Be<br>Story 11: Endings and Beginnings  
>Story 12: Proud of the House We Built<br>Story 13:Starting a Club  
>Story 14: First Pet<br>Story 15: Miscommunication  
>Story 16:The Go-Between<br>Story 17: The Third and Fourth Wheel  
>Story 18: You Can Let Go<br>Story 19: Make the World Go Away  
>Story 20: Invalid<br>Story 21: Hands on a Miracle  
>Story 22:And At the End and the Beginning Was You<br>Story 23: Reunions  
>Story 24: The Lord Giveth and the Lord Taketh Away<br>Story 25: Separation Anxiety  
>Story 26: Parental Discretion is Advised<br>Story 27-I Will Take Care of You  
>Story 28: Take Your Kids to Your Old Work Day<br>Story 29:When the World Stopped Turning  
>Story 30: It Won't Be Like This for Long<p>

Story 31: I'm Yours

Story 32: My Achy, Breaky Heart

Story 33: The Sleepover

Story 34: Asking for Forgiveness

Timeline:

October 2006-"I'm Yours"  
>Nov 2006- CJ and Danny finally see what they've been missing for<br>eight years. Story 19- Make the World Go Away

Jan 2007- Story 24- "The Lord Giveth and the Lord Taketh Away".CJ and Danny move to California together. CJ becomes President of the Hollis Foundation. Danny begins writing Josiah Bartlet's biography.

July 2007-CJ and Danny get married at the Bartlet farm and conceive Abigail during their honeymoon in Ireland.

August 2007:Story 13-"Starting a Club"

Sept 2007- Danny starts school to finish his doctorate

Nov 2007-Story 20 "Invalid"

January 2008- "Parental Discretion is Advised""

February 2008- Abigail is born  
>March 2008-Story 30-"It Won't Be Like This for Long"<p>

March 2009-Patrick is born.

August 2009:Story 25-"Separation Anxiety"

August 2010:Story 23-"Reunions"

January 2011: Story 5-He's Just Sensitive"

Sept 2013:Story 2-"Just Another Day in Paradise"

Nov 2013- February 2014: Story 3- "My Little Girl"  
>June 2014:"Take Your Kids to Your Old Work Day"<p>

May 2015: Story 14- "First Pet"

July 2015: Story 33-"The Sleepover"

May 2018: Story 34-"Asking for Forgivness"

June 2020:Story 16-"The Go-Between"

June 2021: Story 4- "Chivalry Isn't Dead"

June 2021: Story 17: "The Third and Fourth Wheels"

April 2023: Story 29: "When the World Stopped Turning"

Jan 2025:Story 6-"The Hardest Conversation Ever"

March 2025: Story 7- "Letting Go

June 2029-Story 11 "Endings and Beginnings"

March 2030: Story 32-"My Achy, Breaky Heart"

May 2032: Story 1-Abigail's wedding- "I Loved Her First"

July 2032: Story 8- "Getting Good at New Things"

September 2032: Story 9-"Where We Need to Be"

January 2033: Story 10-"Always Loved By Me You're Gonna Be

July 2033: Story 12- "Proud of the House We Built"

September 2033: Story 15-"Miscommunication"

March 2044:-"You Can Let Go"

May 2045-"I Will Take Care of You."

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"You're taking the interview?" CJ asks, livid with her husband at this particular moment.

"Mom, it's almost eight o'clock. We've gotta get to school," Abbey informs her mother, pointing to her wristwatch. She had just downed her glass of orange juice and deposited the glass in the dishwasher.

"It's…it's not even an interview," Danny insists, getting up from the breakfast table and taking his coffee mug to the dishwasher.

"Dad, did you put a granola bar in my bag?" Patty inquires as he shrugs into his uniform jacket.

"What do you mean it's not an interview? You're going there tomorrow to talk with the producers and anchors," CJ points out between a clenched jaw.

"Mom! We have to go to school," the ten year-old girl reminds her mother, who is clearly distracted because she's staring at her father and not paying any attention to her or her little brother.

Danny puts his hands up in defense. "They just want to talk. It's not a job offer. They only want me to contribute on sporadic occasions. I'm not taking any formal offers for permanent employment."

"Of course you're not!" CJ shouts. " But you just said that CNN wants you on the team. If you go in there, you're going to be harassed into taking the job."

"I'm not taking a job," Danny states for what he believes is the tenth time. "It's just a conversation."

"Dad, we've got to get to school before we're late," Abbey yells as way of having her voice heard.

"That will turn into a job interview!" CJ argues in exasperation, shaking her head furiously.

With a loud sigh, Danny turns his attention to his children who are standing around the kitchen in their school uniforms and holding their knapsacks. " Your mother can't drive you today and I don't have time because I'm already late for my class. Why don't you hitch a ride with Josh and Donna when they take the kids to school?"

"Danny, I've told you before that we can't rely on others to get our children to and from school," CJ reiterates to her husband in a harsh, clipped tone.

"Then what do you want to do, CJ?" Danny throws out there with a raised voice.

"Forget it. We'll walk. Come on, PJ." With a shake of her head, Abbey tugs her brother out of the kitchen and into the hallway so they can retrieve their shoes and head out the door, leaving her parents to work out their argument. The school is only a fifteen minute walk away, and the entire surrounding area is residential subdivisions, so it is safe for the children to walk to school with their friends. It's very rare for Abbey to see her parents in any kind of vocalized disagreement, and she's certainly never seen them have a full blown fight before. It leaves her shaking as she heads to school.

CJ is cruising down the street on route to work as she attempts to arrive at her office in time for her first meeting of the day. As she scans the road ahead of her, her head pounds with the echoing words of her argument with Danny that morning. She is furious with him for agreeing to discuss being a CNN contributor out of the California station. She would never dream of considering a change in a career without consulting him. In fact, since they had first discussed how much influence they would have in each other's professions, she has realized that part of sharing a life with someone is open discussion about important life decisions. She is trying to clear her head and focus on preparing herself for work when she enters the intersection on a green light. When she glances to the right and sees a van turning left on a red light, she doesn't have enough time to come to a complete stop before her car is t-boned in the middle of the intersection. She has no time to scream before her head whips back against the headrest and she loses consciousness in a swirling vision of darkness.

Danny unpacks his briefcase on his wooden office desk before removing his suit jacket. It's unseasonably warm in his office and he wants to cool down before heading to his first class. Just as he tosses his cell phone onto the desk, it vibrates with an incoming call. With a little sigh, Danny brings the phone to his ear and accepts the call. "Hello?"

Danny spaces out as the words travel across the line in a horrifying mixture of disbelieving facts. All he hears is the traumatizing keywords…Your wife…accident…hospital…internal bleeding…concussion. When the other speaker ends the call, Danny's first instinct is to dial immediately for a cab. His heart is beating rapidly and he is sweating profusely, so he knows he is no state to operate a vehicle. All he knows is he has to get to the hospital as soon as humanly possible.

Danny jogs up to the nurses' station and attempts to catch his breath. His legs are shaking and his heart is thumping wildly in his chest. "I'm looking for CJ…uh Claudia Jean Cregg Concannon. I got a call earlier…"

A heavier set Latina woman with short brown hair looks up over the counter with a bored expression. "Are you family? I can only discuss patients' information with their family."

"Yes, I'm her husband," Danny replies in annoyance. How does this woman not recognize that he is family by his demeanor?

"Please wait here. I'll get the doctor," the nurse responds with little animation. She picks up a phone and pages the E.R doctor.

"Where is she? What happened? What's wrong?" Danny demands after the nurse returns the phone to the cradle.

"Sir, all I know is that she was brought in by the paramedics earlier. She was bleeding and there was evidence of head trauma. You'll have to wait for the doctor for more information. Please take a seat in the waiting room. " The nurse returns her attention to typing on her computer.

Shaking his head, Danny wanders over to a room with plastic couches and chairs. He knows the woman at the desk will not be much help and he'll have to converse with the doctor to find out what's wrong with CJ. Danny is too riled to sit down, so he paces the floor in agitation.

"Mr. Concannon? I am Ernest Lee. " A short Japanese man in a white frock steps up to Danny and offers his hand.

"Yes. Where's my wife? What's going on?" Danny spits questions out in desperation to receive more answers.

The doctor explains the situation in an even and orderly tone so as to inform the patient's husband without causing more worry. "An ambulance brought Claudia in this morning around half past eight. She was going through the intersection at West Grandview and 9th Street when a van made a left hand turn on a red light and collided with the side of her car. Thankfully, the airbags deployed and softened the impact. She was unconscious and bleeding internally when the paramedics brought her in here, but we've managed to stop the bleeding and there was no permanent damage to any organs. Her forearm was fractured, so in a few minutes we're going to set it in a cast. She does have a minor concussion, but fortunately there is no permanent damage to the skull or brain."

Danny is torn between horror and relief; horror at the suffering his wife has had to endure, but relief that there doesn't seem to be any irreversible harm to her body. "Are you sure you examined her thoroughly? Is she going to be all right?"

The doctor nods with conviction. "I can confidently predict that she will make a full recovery. I'd like to keep her here for a while to ensure she doesn't start hemorrhaging or develop an infection. I'd like to keep monitoring for any side effects of the concussion."

Danny bobs his head automatically. "Can I see her?" Danny has been itching to see her since he got the horrible news. He wants to see for himself how bad the situation is.

The doctor motions with his hand for Danny to follow him. "She's only partly conscious. We've given her pain medicine to make her more comfortable, and it does have a sedative effect. She's going to look worse than her condition actually is, because she has cuts and bruises from the shattered glass of the windshield. But I assure you she is stable right now." The doctor warns Danny before opening the door of the private room.

Danny visibly shutters at the sight of his wife lying lifeless in the sterile bed with starched white sheets. Three blood-stained sheets of white gauze cover three wounds on her face and neck that Danny assumes have been stitched up. Danny steps slowly across the room to the left side of the bed and hovers above her face. Immediately, hot tears burn his eyelids and he feels his chest restrict with a sob. He's never seen CJ so vulnerable, and it makes him physically ache. He knows he shouldn't disturb her, but he can't help but bring his lips to touch her forehead. He needs to feel the warmth of her blood beneath her skin and assure himself that she really will be fine soon.

CJ's eyes flicker open at the feel of her husband's lips. She doesn't have to see his face to know it is him bowing over her. She can just feel his presence.

"Oh, Claudia," Danny exhales into her skin, his own eyes closing briefly. He doesn't want to look at the signs of CJ's obvious pain, but he also doesn't want to stop staring because he needs to see and convince himself that she is truly all right.

"I'm so glad to see you," CJ breathes out slowly, bringing her right hand (the one not broken) up to clutch at the curls on the nape of Danny's neck.

"Honey, I…I am so unbelievably sorry. When they called and told me you were in an accident, I swear my heart stopped beating. I got chills. I was so scared," Danny admits, kissing CJ's face and running his hands lightly along her shoulders. "I thought…I thought our last words were gonna be an argument." Danny doesn't know how he could cope if he ever lost CJ, but it would be even worse if he knew that she died when they were in the middle of a fight.

CJ puts on a tiny smile and physically relaxes at Danny's touch. "It's okay. I'm okay. I was bleeding a lot earlier, but they've stopped it. I'm a little fuzzy from the medicine and the concussion, but the doctors said there's no permanent damage."

Danny forces himself to sit down on the edge of bed, fearing that he will pass out and end up in a bed beside her if he doesn't sit down and regroup. "I'm so sorry," Danny cries, laying his head on CJ's chest gently. He wants nothing more than to gaze into her eyes, but he feels so guilty and ashamed that all he can seem to do is hide.

CJ shakes her head with a great deal of effort. Her neck is very stiff from the whiplash. "Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. It's not your fault. "

Danny decides to do the right thing, summon his bravery and divulge his feelings. He lifts his head up and meets CJ's hazy gaze. "But it is my fault. We had a fight this morning because I wanted to take the meeting with CNN. You went to work angry with me, you got in the car when you were upset. You were probably not focused on driving because you were pissed with me. I caused that. I caused you to get into an accident."

CJ stares deeply into her husband's eyes and illustrates through their connection that she doesn't blame him. "No, you didn't. Get that idea out of your head right now. Yes, I was a little distracted and probably should've been paying closer attention to the road, but this isn't your fault. I got in an accident because an asshole ran a red light, not because we were fighting. It was just an accident."

Even though he can see that CJ doesn't blame him, Danny is not convinced that he isn't the reason she is lying in a hospital bed with head trauma, a broken arm and bruised torso. "But maybe you would have spotted the car sooner if you weren't so upset. Maybe you would have left the house for work a few minutes earlier if we hadn't gotten in an argument this morning, and then you would have avoided the other driver."

"Danny, stop," CJ insists in exasperation. "Please don't beat yourself up. I'm exhausted and in so much pain, so I can't stand to see you guilting yourself. If anything, I brought this on myself by not double-checking before entering the intersection, or by being so harsh with you earlier. I was the one who picked the fight. I should have just let it go. I should have realized sooner than you weren't gonna take a job without discussing it with me. I should have trusted you."

"You didn't do this," Danny tells her confidently, unwaveringly. " But don't worry about the CNN thing. I'm not going tomorrow. My priorities are here with you. Actually, I decided on my ride to work that I wasn't gonna meet with the producers and anchors tomorrow."

CJ sighs deeply and allows her eyes to close for a moment. She's so overwhelmed with hurt and a million emotions. "Danny, if you wanted to change jobs, I would support you. You've always done everything for me so I could have the career I wanted and raise the kids. I shouldn't have told you not to take the meeting. I'm sorry for telling you what to do. I owe you my support. But, I can't deal with any of this now. We can worry about that later."

Danny nods his head mutely.

"How are you feeling, Claudia?" Dr. Lee inquires, knocking on the door before entering the room and examining CJ's vitals from the monitors.

"A little sore," CJ admits as Danny rests a hand ever so gently on her right shoulder.

"The pain medicine should be kicking in soon. How about I put a cast on that arm for you?" Dr. Lee pulls a stool up to the bed but motions for Danny to remain seated on the bed when he attempts to relocate. The doctor and accompanying nurses had been working to contain the bleeding and assess the head trauma, so the broken arm had been a low priority until now.

"All right," CJ replies weakly. Out of everything, it's her left arm that hurts the least right now.

"Danny!" Donna shouts upon spotting her friend in the elevator lobby. Apparently, Danny has just obtained a cup of coffee from the cafeteria.

Danny smiles meekly at his neighbour and presses the call button for the elevator.

"How is she?" Donna asks with a sympathetic frown. As soon as Danny had called to inform CJ's secretary that she wouldn't be coming into work, CJ's assistant had transferred him to Donna so he could deliver the horrible news himself to CJ's close friend and one of the vice presidents of the foundation. Donna quickly cleared her schedule and headed immediately for the hospital.

Danny accepts Donna's hug and they both step into the elevator. "She's pretty sore now, but thankfully she's predicted to make a full recovery. The good thing is that there wasn't any damage to her major organs or brain."

"Thank God," Donna exhales deeply. "Josh is on is way but he'll take a little longer since he's coming from Santa Monica," Donna informs Danny.

"Yeah, he called me after he talked to you. He asked if there was anything we needed from the house," Danny reports.

"Is there anything you want us to do? I see you found coffee, but you do want me to get lunch or anything?" Donna wants to be as helpful as possible and make sure that Danny can be available for CJ and not worrying about anything else.

"No, thanks, Donna. I'm okay for now, but maybe later." Danny leads the way out of the elevator and out into the hallway where CJ's room is located.

"Do you want me to make any calls for you?" Donna offers, desperate to do something productive for Danny.

Danny sports a grateful smile. " No, thanks. I talked to my mom and sister, and CJ's brother, Art. My mom and Megan are trying to get a plane out tomorrow, but Art can't leave work for a couple days."

"What about the kids?" Donna asks cautiously. "I can pick them up from school and bring them here or take them home or…"

Danny grimaces and pinches the bridge of his nose, evidently torn. "No, I think I'll meet them after school. I want to tell them about the accident myself. I'm sure they'll be upset and I want to be there to assure them that their mother will be back to normal again."

Donna nods, concurring with Danny that they should probably hear the news from their father. "Okay. Well why don't I stay here with CJ when you go get the kids from school?"

"Thanks, Donna. That would be great. I don't want to leave her here by herself." Danny opens the door and allows Donna to enter the private room. CJ is resting stiffly with her eyes closed, the same manner in which he left her to procure caffeine.

CJ's pries her eyes open at the sound of footfalls in the room. When she notices Donna tip-toeing behind Danny, she musters a little smile. " I think I'm ready for the next board meeting."

Donna laughs lightly and steps up to CJ's bedside. "Don't you dare worry about work! I'll handle everything until you're back. I'm only concerned about your health."

"I'm fine," CJ says as way of reassuring her friend. "Just a little fractured arm and concussion. Nothing I can't recover from. I'm thinking of signing up for the triathlon. But seriously, I'm already starting to feel better. Or at least the pain killers are making me so fuzzy that I don't care any more."

Donna reaches to wrap her hand around CJ's right hand. "I know you're going to be good as new in no time."

The afternoon had not brought any complications or regressive developments, so Danny, Donna and Josh had been trying to alternate entertaining CJ and allowing her to rest. Eventually, Danny decides to tell CJ that he'll have to leave for a little while. "Honey, it's almost three o'clock ,so I'm gonna go get the kids from school. But Donna will stay here with you until I get back."

With a sigh, CJ grimaces. "Any chance you don't have to tell them about the accident?" Earlier, CJ had requested that Danny not pull the children out of school before the end of the day. It would not do the children any good to be brought away from their daily routine prior to its necessity.

Reaching to squeeze CJ's good hand, Danny purses his lips. "Honey, I have to tell them what happened. I think they would start to wonder why you're not at home. But, you don't have anything to worry about. I'm sure they will be fine. I'm going to tell them as gently as possible. Then I figured I'd bring them here, because I'm sure they will want to see you."

CJ hates the thought of her children having to see her so helpless and vulnerable. She only wants to appear strong in front of them. She knows the broken arm, gauze-covered stitches and I.V drip will probably frighten them. However, she has to face the fact that they will have to see her in this condition, because they will no doubt want to see for themselves that she is not in peril. She resolves to act as positively and bravely as possible so as to minimize the impact of her condition on her children. "Okay. I guess I can't avoid it any longer."

Josh drove Danny back to his office at U.C.L.A to pick up his car. They both drove their cars to the kids' school and parked in the parking lot. Danny turned off the ignition and stepped out onto the pavement to wait for the children. After a few minutes, Abbey and PJ walk out the North entrance with Noah, Ella and Davy.

"Hey, guys," Danny calls, plastering a calm smile on his face.

Davy rushes up and hugs his father, dragging his knapsack behind him.

"How was school?" Danny asks of them, reaching out to hug his children in turn.

Abbey shrugs and goes to open the passenger seat door, assuming they will get in the car and drive back to the house. "Fine."

"Can I go over to Robbie's tonight?" Pat asks as he tosses his knapsack into the backseat of the car.

"Hold, hold on, guys. I've got a little…bad news. I mean, it's not terrible, but it's still…news…" Danny rambles with a sharp inhale.

"What's wrong?" Abbey seeks an explanation. She sees her father's facial expression register grimness and concern, emotions she's not used to him reflecting.

"Mom was in a car accident this morning on her way to work. It was a bad accident and the car was totaled, but she's going to make a full recovery." Danny speaks slowly, trying to keep his voice calm and even. He doesn't want to frighten the children. The other children are just standing around Josh and their car, taking the news in somberly.

"Is she hurt?" PJ asks of his father, his lips already trembling and his blue eyes expressing worry.

Danny licks his dry bottom lip. "Yeah. But the airbags prevented any serious harm. She did receive a brunt of the impact to her chest and upper body, so when the ambulance brought her in she was bleeding on the inside. But, that's all under control now. She has a broken arm and a little concussion."

"I want to see her," Abbey demands forcefully. " Is she at the hospital? We have to go there."

Danny reaches out to hug his daughter, but she steps back defensively. "We'll go there shortly." Danny turns his attention to his visibly shaken son and wraps an arm around his shoulder. "I don't want either of you to worry. Your mom is going to be fine. I have to warn you that she looks pretty beaten up now, but she really is okay."

"Okay, let's go now," Abbey requests immediately, her face a contorted mixture of worry and trying not to cry.

"Honey, everything is going to be fine." Danny attempts to hug his daughter again, but she puts her hands up and shakes him off.

Abbey averts her eyes to the ground, trying to will back her tears. She hates getting emotional in public. "All right. Let's just go. I want to see her now."

"Okay, sweetie. We'll go now," Danny responds softly as Abbey flings the passenger door open and throws herself inside the car.

"Can we go to the hospital, too?" Noah turns to ask his father. He can deduce that Abbey is upset and he wants to be there for her if she wants to talk about the situation.

Josh drapes an arm around his younger son who appears to be concerned. "Well, we're gonna go home and I'm going to pick up some things for CJ and Danny from their house. Mom is staying there with CJ now. I figured we'd go back to the hospital in a couple hours and bring everyone supper."

"Thanks, Josh. We'll see you there in a little while," Danny says as he motions for PJ to get in the car.

The car ride back to the hospital had been awful for Danny. Pat asked a million questions about CJ, needing to hear from his father that his mother was going to recover and come back to their house soon. He was so worried about his mom and burst into tears on a couple of occasions. It was rare for Patrick to be so talkative in stressful situation, as he usually becomes moody and broods. But, for some reason, Patty had not wanted to distance himself from the crisis. Abbey had been uncharacteristically completely stoic and silent. She didn't want to hear her father talk about the bleeding and the head injury. It nearly made her vomit to listen to any details. She was determined to see for herself that her mom was going to return to her normal self. She was sick with worry, but she held it in check.

Now, Danny is leading the children down the harshly illuminated hallway and warning them about what to expect. He knows neither of children takes well to visiting a hospital. "Now, she's receiving pain medicine so she won't be fully alert. She gets hazy and has to close her eyes a lot. Don't be alarmed by the I.V in her hand or the scrapes and bruises on her face. She looks worse than she is."

When Danny carefully pushes the door out of the way so they can enter, Patty bolts instantly for his mother.

"Mommy!" Pat cries, rushing up to the bed and startling CJ out of her rest. Donna puts her arm out to prevent the little boy from reaching aggressively for CJ and rattling her bruised body.

"Hey, Peanut," CJ sighs, recuperating from her surprise of Patty dashing noisily into the room.

"Are you okay? Does your arm hurt? When are you coming home? Can I hug you?" PJ babbles as tears fall uninhibited down his face. Usually he would sit by himself quietly in uncomfortable situations, as he typically has a hard time processing difficult situations. Today, however, he seems to confront the problem head on.

"I'm going to be fine," CJ assures her little boy in her best soothing voice. "And I'd love a hug."

"How about you just kiss your mom's cheek instead? Be very gentle," Donna suggests, standing out of her plastic chair before hoisting Patty up onto the chair so he can reach CJ easier.

PJ leans over to kiss his mother like instructed.

"Honey, you okay?" CJ glances at the end of the bed where Abbey shifts awkwardly on the balls of her feet, Danny standing behind her with a hand on her shoulder.

Abbey is trying to process everything and judge for herself how bad off her mom is. She knows her dad was probably trying to downplay the seriousness of the accident so she and her brother wouldn't freak out. She is choked up at the sight of her mom lying in the hospital bed with bandages on her face and neck and a scary-looking needle poking of out her right hand. She can't seem to vocalize any words to express how she is feeling. She is desperately trying to contain her grief.

"Sweetie?" Danny turns to his daughter who is shaking and trying to hold in sobs. "Honey, it's okay. Just take a deep breath. Come here." Danny finally convinces Abbey to accept his embrace and the gesture causes her to lose all of her composure. Abbey collapses into her father's arms and buries her face in his chest.

Tears well in CJ's eyes as she watches her daughter finally allow the emotions to overtake her. She is surprised that Abbey is the hysterical one and PJ seems to be taking it all in stride. "Come here, baby. It's okay. I know I look pretty scary, but it's still me."

Danny, supporting his little girl, walks her over to the bed to see CJ.

"I'm sorry," Abbey cries in a fit of uncontrollable sobs. "I'm sorry. I'm not…acting properly or…"

CJ reaches her right hand across to take her daughter's hand as Danny helps her sit down in the chair Donna had vacated. "It's okay, baby. You don't have to act any way. I know you're upset. It's okay. But I need you to understand that I'm going to recover completely. I'll be back home soon and nothing will change."

Sucking in a huge gulp of air, Abbey manages to nod. Even though she hates seeing her mom so hurt, she forces herself to lean over and kiss her forehead.

CJ wishes she could hug her children properly, but her entire upper body is too tender. She settles for accepting her daughter's affection and squeezing her hand soothingly.

"I'm just glad you're okay. I don't know how I'd manage without you," Abbey admits solemnly as she returns to the chair. "It must have been so scary."

Pausing a moment, CJ evaluates how to best describe the accident to the children in the least scarring manner possible. "I don't remember most of it. It all happened so quickly. All I can remember is the other car colliding with the passenger door and then my head swung back and hit the headrest. After that I blacked out. I only woke up in the hospital afterwards after the doctors had already worked to stabilize everything."

"Are you in a lot of pain?" Abbey wants to know, finally calming herself down.

"Nah. They're giving me some medicine through the I.V to help that." CJ smiles as widely as possible.

"When can you come home?" Abbey asks, although she has a feeling her mom can't predict that yet.

"The doctors don't want me to go home tonight. They want to keep me here a little longer, just to make sure I don't develop any complications." CJ tries to smile positively.

"Are you coming home tonight, Dad?" PJ turns to his father with a slightly worried look. He can't go to sleep without one of his parents at home.

Danny shares a hesitant glance with CJ. " No, pal. I'm going to stay here with Mom tonight."

"You two are going to stay at our house tonight," Donna pipes up from her spot standing at the other side of the bed.

Pat looks uncertainly at Donna. "But it's a school night."

Donna almost laughs at the little boy who's got a look on his face like he's about to break a rule. "We'll drop you all off at school in the morning, sweetheart."

"You can go home tonight and get your pajamas and toothbrushes and clean uniforms for tomorrow," CJ suggests.

"Danny?" With a little sigh, CJ opens her eyes and glances over to the chair to the left of her hospital bed where Danny is absently flipping through a newspaper.

"What is it, darling? Do you need something? Should I get the nurse?" Danny bolts out of his seat and returns to CJ's bedside.

CJ rolls her eyes in amusement. "No, I'm fine. But you're not sleeping."

Danny looks at her quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"You said you were going to lie on the cot they brought you and get some rest," CJ reminds him pointedly.

"I will," Danny remarks, although not entirely honestly.

"Then go lie down. You need to get some sleep," CJ insists.

"I will. I just want to wait until you're asleep," Danny admits coyly.

"No, you won't. You'll sit in that uncomfortable plastic chair all night, keeping watch over me and making sure the night nurse checks in all the time." Even though CJ had not been a patient in a hospital since she gave birth to Patrick over nine years ago, CJ can predict confidently how Danny will behave in this type of situation. She knows he won't let himself rest until he can guarantee nothing will go wrong with her.

"That's…not entirely true," Danny replies lamely, attempting to fib.

"Danny, come on," CJ exhales. "I'm fine. I feel all right. The doctors said I should have a problem-free night. Now, I'm begging you not to worry. Please lie down and sleep."

Hovering over CJ's face, Danny smirks. " I can't help but worry. When it comes to you and the kids, it's like inevitable that I'm over-protective. I just want to be available in the night if you need anything."

CJ lifts her right hand and tugs lightly at Danny's short chin hair. "I promise if I wake up and need something, I'll wake you up and get your attention. Now, promise me you'll take a break and go to sleep."

Danny lowers his face and presses his lips to CJ's in a smile. " I promise."

"Good," CJ replies with the first genuine smile she's had all day. She recognizes how lucky she is to have Danny, even if his love can be a little stifling.

Danny momentarily glances down before returning his gaze to CJ's eyes. "Honey, I'm so sorry for fighting with you this morning. I know you don't think it's what caused the accident, but I apologize regardless. I should never have agreed to a meeting without asking you first. I need to ask for your forgiveness. "

CJ takes in a deep breath before replying. "Danny, you didn't really do anything wrong. You weren't planning to make any decisions. I should have recognized that and realized you would have talked to me first if you were interested in the job. I need to apologize for over-reacting and starting the fight. I'm sorry if I made you think that you don't deserve whatever job you want, and I'm sorry for not trusting you. I guess I need to ask for your forgiveness, as well."

Danny almost laughs and has to sit up on the edge of the bed. " Darling, you have nothing to apologize for and certainly no reason to request my forgiveness."

CJ rolls her eyes at Danny's disbelief that she wants to apologize. "But I feel like I do, so please tell me everything is okay between us again."

Physically relaxing now that he and CJ have righted their wrongs, Danny smiles easily. "Of course, my love. But in the future, can we agree to resolve any disputes quickly and completely before we depart? Today showed me the importance of never extending a fight because we just never know when tragedy can occur."

With a serious look, CJ bobs her head lightly. "All right. Next time we'll handle an argument better." CJ thinks to herself that she and Danny are so terrible at fighting because they, thankfully, don't have much practice. Of course they have minor disagreements about relatively insignificant things, but for the most part they've only had a couple of larger arguments similar to their fight today.

"I feel much better now," Danny proclaims, outreaching his hand to tuck CJ's hair behind her ear.

"Good. So now will you get some sleep?" CJ cocks a brow teasingly.

Danny nods, letting the exhaustion of the day overtake his adrenaline. "Yes, I think I'm ready to crash. Do you need anything before I lie down?"

"How about a kiss?" CJ suggests with a light smile.

With a grin, Danny visibly relaxes in relief. Everything was going to be okay. "Anytime." Danny bends forward and kisses CJ's lips tenderly. "I love you much, and I'm so grateful that you're going to recover. I couldn't go on if something terrible happened to you."

"I love you too," CJ replies sweetly. "But please don't worry. We're gonna have decades left together."

"Thank God," Danny mumbles. Danny is disturbed that it took a near tragedy to teach them never to take each other for granted, but he is grateful that they both have a second chance at life together, and plenty more times to ask for forgiveness.


End file.
